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Types of Jobs in Telecommunications You Can Get

Telecommunications refers to the idea of communicating over a distance and that encapsulates a pretty huge field. Where once it covered telephones and radios, the word has now expanded to cover things like television, wireless networking, computer networking, telemetry and any other way by which we communicate quickly over a long distance, though we still often think of telephones first and foremost, in particular cell phones. Telecommunications is a huge field though and a constantly changing one; after all, most of the thing we use for communications are also used for other things now, such as cell phones which are used to talk, take pictures, record video and a mass of other things besides. This makes it impossible to simply state that telecommunications is all about simple communication now; it’s also about dealing with the hardware and software, keeping up to date on the technology and being able to help customers pull together all different pieces of hardware into a harmonious whole. It’s definitely huge and it’s definitely not easy and that means within the field, there are a myriad of jobs to be done!

So which jobs will be right for you? Well, it will all depend on your level of experience/education and what you enjoy doing, so let’s take a look.

Telecommunications Customer Service

Customer support services do things like answer phone calls and emails and help customers solve problems. They are the people who pick up the phone and bear the brunt of peoples’ moods when the internet crashes, the phones aren’t working right, bills are incorrect (or they don’t understand them) or new services need to be added or taken out. It’s a stressful job, but it’s where most people in telecomm begin as it requires no real experience and the training is done on the job. If you can work up to management, you can make a decent living.

Customer support staff needs no experience and training is done on site. The salary range varies between around $20,000 and over $50,000 with managers getting the higher salaries.

Telecom Salespeople

Salespeople are the other branch of the inexperienced workers in telecomm. They’re the ones who sell customers their goodies! This means they have to be able to pitch a product, answer questions, and be friendly and courteous at all times. They may also have to deal with warranties to some extent and help connect customers to people who can help. Generally speaking, they have a smaller base salary, meaning more money comes from commissions. It’s stressful too, but if you love your products, it’s easier.

Salespeople don’t usually need any real experience to get a job-though highlight any retail experience you may have-and training is done on site. The salary will vary wildly depending on your commissions-anywhere from around $25,000 to over $100,000 on average.

Public Relations/Government Relations

PR and GR people work with the government and with the public to create a better relationship. They do things like lobby officials, help to draft new legislation and work with the press to get better coverage of the things the company wants implemented. PR and GR workers generally have plenty of experience in handling people, they may have a degree in something like communications, political science or something else, they have excellent communication skills and they will have worked in the industry for a while already.

Telecom Engineers

There are a wide number of engineers which work in telecommunications, including:

Test engineers

Software engineers

Field engineers

All of these fields require similar things: plenty of computer experience, the ability to work well with others, knowledge of programming languages (such as Unix and C++) and testing products to make sure they work. Test engineers do most of the testing, software engineers write the code to make things work and other engineers do things like install equipment, plan network needs and generally keep the system going. Any engineer will need a background in computer sciences, programming, the ability to work well under pressure and with others, and a tech savvy mind. However, the salaries are good with all engineers making upwards of $100,000 or more.

Telecom Product Manager

Product managers are kind of the last big job niche for telecommunications and they are the ones who make a product and innovation happen. They figure out what will be sold to users, understand the technology needed for manufacturing, figure out how best to sell new products and ideas and generally bring stuff from the factory floor to homes. This job does require people to have an MBA or equivalent experience in networking and data communication, but salaries go from $60,000 to $125,000, so it’s pretty cushy.

Telecommunications is a very broad field and demanding in that it forces people to stay up to date, get regular training, study the industry, and be passionate about the industry, and network regularly in order to land jobs. If you love communication and helping people connect, then this could be the field for you. Good luck in finding your telecommunications career!